the ONE PERCENTERS and some tangents.

 First, I have some tangents for you.

-Today’s workout was 9 miles at an 8:05 pace.  They were done on a treadmill with the Brookers hanging out with me playing.  A few people have asked why I am not outside running during the summer months and it is simply because I don’t have a babysitter every day:)  I’m working with my coach and scheduling in advance about 3 outdoor runs each week (usually in the early morning) but the rest are indoors with my little buddy.  I don’t mind the treadmill that much and she loves playing in the toy room so it is a win-win.  Most of my long runs and speed workouts will be outside though in preparation for the St. George Marathon. 

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-I met a guy at the gym today that has done 50 marathons and a bunch of ultras (his first ultra was a 100 miler!!).  He has put in over 65,000 miles in his life and had his first injury EVER a few months ago while doing jumping jacks (he broke a bone in his foot?!?!).  He was using the elliptical today and gets to start running again next week.  He has done a 2:45 marathon in the past and so he was giving me all sorts of awesome tips.  He gave me an extra boost of motivation.  I LOVE hearing other people’s running stories.  That is why I adore reading running blogs.  

-Lunch was a turkey burger/avocado/peach salsa sandwich.  Random but it did the trick.  

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-My nephew was wearing a YOLO hat on Sunday.  I wanted to spell the word yolo with our hands for a picture.  It clearly didn’t work out the way I was hoping it would.  

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-Megan D snapped this picture to me and I feel like this is a great replacement if you are all out of Reese’s Pieces.  

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-A mini trampoline that Brooke fell in love with.  

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My coach sent me this awesome article about a guy that finally got his sub-3 marathon after missing his goal time after time.  The article talks about what got him to his 2:59 marathon and I loved it!

My coach is in charge of the training part (well, telling me what to do… I guess I actually have to do the actual workouts) but I am FULLY in charge of the ‘one percenters.’

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Outside of the physical and mental training, if we really want to take our running to the next level then we’ve got to make sure to do the extras.  All of those extras will add together and make a difference on race day.  I’ve got 16 weeks of one percenters to get busy on.  

What are some more ‘one percenters’ that we can do to make our running better/stronger/faster?

-Do your dynamic stretching before a run.  

-Hit up a yoga class.  

-Ditch the soda (or drink it a lot less).  This one feels like a 59301 percenter for me because of my deep love for diet coke.  

-Drink a heck of a lot more water.

-Garbage in—> garbage out.  Work on nutrition!  If we fuel with junk then our workouts will be junk:) (I’m working on this one)

-Strength train.  Core work.  Ya know… lift some weights and squat.

-Put the phone away at night and go to sleep right when you go to bed rather than scrolling through instagram.  Get yourself in bed a little earlier too.  

-Become best friends foam roller and use it a few times each week.

-When you want to quit a run early because you are exhausted, don’t.  

-Choose the hilly route.

…. and the list goes on and on.  

Yesterday I chose a healthier treat than my normal ‘cookies/brownies/candy’ Bachelor watching snacks.

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What are some of the ‘one percenters’ that you like to do to help your running?

Are you/have you ever been a soda drinker?  Is it hard for you to quit?

-I’m working real hard over here.  I’ve gotta do it though to help my running.  

Parents reading—>  what do you do to be able to get outside for a run?

Any idea how many races you have done?

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81 comments

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I have seen those jeans in many of your pictures. I love them! Where do you get them from?

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Hey:) I wear them daily ha. They are Joe’s jeans and I have searched all over the internet for the exact pair but I haven’t found them yet. I bought them a few years ago. I will keep searching though and let you know when I find them!

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Your nephew’s hat is awesome.

I quit pop for a while in high school and college, and then started drinking again in graduate school. I’m working on cutting back to one a week.

My ‘one percenter’ is strength training, yoga, and spin class. Cross training is so important!

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SOOO true… that one percenter is HUGE!

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Those are great tips and I do love me a Coke Zero every once in awhile. I don’t think I will ever fully give it up. I always make sure to get my sleep. Not to help my running (since I don’t race) but just to help me out w/ my life in general. A well rested Susan is a much better Susan to bring out to the world!!

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You are so right—> thanks for giving me even more motivation to get more sleep… I’m a lot better person in every area when I get more sleep too!

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Ahhh The Bachelorette was so crazy last night!!! [Well, I watched at 5am this morning on Hulu haha…but still…] Who are you rooting for??

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I seriously cannot get into this season. I don’t really like any of them!?!?! Who are you??

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I can’t decide! Tanner seems cool because he’s stayed out of trouble haha…not really into the “bad boys.” Normally I wouldn’t really have kept up with it as much, but since I started writing episode commentary for a local company I’ve had to watch every week and it’s kinda fun to laugh at the whole thing.

Do you ever see Jef from a few season back? I think he was from Utah!!

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Okay that is awesome that you are doing episode commentary! I love it! YES AND I MET JEF… he was very attractive, not going to lie.

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Ahhhh fangirl moment!!! So lucky!

And you should check out the company! They’re called STAG and they make super cute theme shirts and tanks, too [I wear mine every monday like the nerd I am haha]: http://www.letsgostag.com/everything-is-bigger-in-texas-including-drama/

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I can’t wait to read it! THANK YOU and I’ll check out the tanks too!

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My kids are in that weird age gap where they are way too old to be pushed in a stroller but still a little too young to be left home alone. They get to do lots of bike rides next to me while I run – which is fine with them because they love riding! Seriously, we are taking our kids on a 22 mile ride on Friday and they’ll be fine. (I, however, may die.)

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TWENTY TWO MILE RIDE…. ummm your kids are rockstars and you WILL do amazing Amy!

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I am addicted to Diet Vanilla Coke. I know I should give it up or at least cut back but my excuse is that I’ve given up everything else so I’m keeping one vice. Sad but true.

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Not sad at all! I just have so many vices that I need to cut back a bit ha! PS diet vanilla coke is delicious and I hope that you get one today:)

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Great tips! The little things really do matter. My ‘one percenters’ are yoga/Pilates, strength training, lots of water, eating right after my run, and enough sleep.
I quit soda early in college, picked it up again senior year, then quit for good in grad school. It’s been about two years since I’ve had any soda. I drank a lot of sparkling waters to help me quit since they have similar carbonation. Soda doesn’t even appeal to me now!

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Ahh! There’s such a debate on the diet soda thing! If you Google it (I do because I’m trying to find justification in drinking diet root beer daily haha), some people are all, “nah, it’s fine, it won’t hurt your running or endurance” while there are those who say you should stop cold turkey! I go back and forth…

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I do too. I think my main problem is that it stops me from drinking enough water because it fills me up so perfectly:)

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ha! So today I saw this article on the internet, which made me laugh when I saw your bachelor healthy snack alternative. I love kind bars too!

http://www.ibtimes.com/kind-bars-no-healthier-candy-bars-fda-says-stop-making-healthy-claim-1883300

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We all know you won’t get 2:59! It will be 2:58 or even better ;)

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I had a dream about a turkey burger last night and I am pretty sure it is your “fault” :) Must eat one soon.

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I used to drink Diet Coke like it was water, but now all I drink is water. I actually had a DC the other day because I wanted to taste the deliciousness and I was really saddened bc I couldn’t even finish it. They used to be my favorite things ever!!

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That One Percenter thing is so wise and something I often overlook. Lately, however, I’ve been very mindful to roll every day, as the tightness is what caused my awful plantar issues. Also, I’m always diligent to stretch after my runs, and I’ve been very good about core work lately.

I’m not big on soda, though I do love Diet Dr. Pepper. I’ve substituted it with Gatorade. I could drink Gatorade all day. So.good.

I honestly have no idea how many races I’ve done. I raced once month for a while and hope to get back to that soon. I miss it!!

That peach salsa looks so good, but do they make one that isn’t super spicy??!

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I’m really bad at one percenters. But I’m doing really well at lifting and I hardly ever have had Soda since high school. I need to work on a lot of other things though. Like the stretching and eating better.

Running when you have kids is hard. I hate running with a stroller. But I’m lucky to be able to go when they are in bed now that my husband is done with school. The hard thing about that is now I’m not used to running in the morning when all the races are.

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Whenever I do a long run, I CRAVE carbonation like no other. The bubbles make my mouth water. It’s crazy! Or Chik-fil-a diet lemonade. Those artificial sweeteners taste so good.

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ugh! Giving up soda… yes, so hard to do! I have actually gotten down to one of the tiny small cans of coke zero a day…. trying hard to eliminate! As a nurse practitioner, I know just how bad it is…. but I have had to take baby steps to wean off.

The one per center list is definitely smart! I too have been trying to incorporate things like these. I am not a super fast runner, but find strength training and stretching help a great deal. I am also not a spring chicken, therefore, stretching is a must. :)

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For me it’s continuing on with yoga (tough when marathon training!) plus adding strides into my training runs at the end. Planning to start training for MYCM mid July so planning all this now, great points!

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I TOTALLY agree about the “one percenters”. I’m not always an over achiever, but I remember when I did track, I PR’d in every race I ran my Junior year, and I think a lot of that has to do with being a “one percenter”. I would run an extra mile after every practice. and I would do lots of little things like that every day. Can’t do the minimum if you want to get better :)
you’ll get that sub 3 hour if you keep working at it girl.!

I’m lucky enough that my husband is always able to watch my daughter for me during my morning runs. If I didn’t have him though.. I’d be in the same boat. but getting the run in is what is important :) wherever you do it

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65,000 miles?! I think if I had to do a rough estimation, I have done 2-3,000 miles my entire life! That man is AMAZING!

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My one percenter is hills but I’m adding yoga….I did my first hot yoga class on Sunday and fell in love with it so hopefully I Will keep that streak alive.

I don’t drink much soda…mostly just water so I think I’m good there.

My kids are a little older (12 and 18) so I don’t have a lot of trouble getting out for my runs…..they kind of expect it of me at this point.

I think I’ve done 15 half marathons…..and 2 fulls that were terrible…..but my running girls and I are hoping to start training to qualify for Boston in 2016! We are waiting for one of the girl’s to get her bone density scan back to see if she fractured her foot when she slipped on the stairs a few weeks back :( fingers crossed!

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Limit sugar, eat clean and try not to stress. If I’m too stressed, my workouts are horrible. Love the story about that guy. Wish I knew his tips for not getting injured for so many years.

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My one percenter lately has been to cut back on my gum addiction because less gum = less bloated = run faster. It’s (actually) science ;).

Have a wonderful night!!! xo

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REALLY?! I always chew gum especially when I am running….I have never heard it causes bloating. Is this true?!

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Oh my gosh, I puff up like a balloon when I chew gum!

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Yeah, I got sad when I read this awhile back, too. It causes you to swallow air, which causes the bloating. :(

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The little things make SUCH A big difference yet for some reason they are so hard! You would think if you have time to run 8 miles that getting in some of the extras would be easy…but it is SO hard.
My latest extra is box jumps…they are hard but totally are helping!!!!!! I do 5 on each foot then 10 with both feet and then repeat :)
That and planks!
I quit diet coke about 6 months ago. I went cold turkey and went totally without, but in the last month I have been having a few a week. I should probably just cut it totally out…but it is hard :)

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I’ve done quite a few 5k’s, 8k’s and 10k’s but only one half so far. I can’t wait to add a few more of those to my list soon!

As for my one percenters, getting to sleep earlier is definitely a struggle for me. I always loose track of time and crawl into bed so much later than I originally planned. I also struggle with getting in more strength training and yoga. I much prefer running and spin class but really do like how I feel when I combine running with strength training and yoga. It takes everything to a whole new level and I feel hardcore!

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I either push my little cutie in the stroller or run in the evening after he goes down for bed.
My 1% is highly focused around nutrition and strength training.
You are doing great with your training by getting a good coach and plan in place, way to go girl!

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Sometimes I can’t tell if Brooke or Curly is in your picture!

My extras are, well ok, used to be, drinking tons of water, choosing hills when I can, and eating better. I’ve been slacking on extras!

My husband watches my daughter so I can run. On my easy runs, I take her in the stroller. She has little patience for it, and she is potty training, so the stroller days are few and far between these days!

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I have become a coke zero addict :( hopeless.

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Sometimes in order to run outside I have to run at not the best times. I did a bunch of long runs on hot sunny days at noon. I had finished work and Max was in daycare therefore that is when I could run. I don’t have a treadmill at home so I run whenever I can.

I have to do all those things more often!! Especially dynamic stretches

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-I stopped drinking Pepsi (my favorite) about 5+ years ago and never looked back. I drink TONS of water and 1 cup of coffee in the morning. :)
– I run or workout at the wee early hours while my husband and daughter sleep. She usually wakes up and watches for me out the window (my favorite part of my run ) because she wont wake my husband up…not sure why..but I like our morning time:)

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The soda isn’t hard for me to give up but the juices are. I LOVE natural fruits juices! And a little bit isn’t too bad, but when it’s all you drink that’s never a good thing. I drink an “ok” amount of water (trying to get better at that)

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Oh my gosh, I really need to take a yoga class, but the whole zen yoga thing is intimidating.
I used to drink diet coke…a lot of diet coke. When I finally quit, I felt like I had the flu for a week.
I have no idea how many races I’ve run. I don’t keep my medals, so I lose track.

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Hmm – I try to do a little stretching after most runs, try and eat well all the time and get a decent sleep. I don’t think drinking “more” water is useful, as long as you aren’t dehydrated. Strength training is also important just to balance non-runing muscles. Also, I try and mix up my training so I don’t get into a rut – some shorter intervals, some tempo runs, some easy miles, some long runs etc.

A couple of years ago while on a long run I guesstimated I’ve run at least 56 000 km, which would be 35000 miles. Not bad for an old geezer. As for races, 8 marathons with a best of 2:36, probably 20 1/2’s and a couple of hundred shorter races. I’m not getting faster, but I’m trying to minimize any slowdown from year to year, and doing ok. Take care.

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I drink diet dr. pepper. I’m okay with drink it occasionally because I feel like there’s bigger fish to fry when it comes to overall diet. I have stopped drinking it two different times and never noticed a difference in how I felt or food cravings.

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I love when you post your tips/tricks for occupying Brooke during your runs because I steal them for myself! :) my husband and I have crazy schedules so running occurs first thing in the morning with my double bob stroller (very hard workout for me) or treadmill while they nap.

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Hubby & I kicked soda to the curb about a month ago. Well, he started before that, but he also drank more of of than I did!
I’m TRYING to add in more strength training for this Half training. ..

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love the concept of one percenters. i think this list would be particularly helpful during a taper when i’m feeling antsy and not running. having concrete things to do to help reach a running goal (without running) is a great idea.

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Where are your shoes from? I need them!!

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I loooove diet coke :) I try to limit it and drink more water, but I don’t think I’ll ever give it up completely. I figure there are worse things.

My 1%’s are varying my workouts (including classes at the gym, strength training, and runs), getting enough sleep, eating more fruits/veggies, drinking more water, and prayer/time to myself.

PS putting m&ms in the peanut butter is brilliant!

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I don’t drink much soda but I’m trying to quit Crystal Light. I drink their Iced Tea
waaay to much but I love it. Also now I must get some M & Ms to put in my
Little PB cups. Yum!!

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I like ginger ale but I’m starting a 10 day no-added-sugar tomorrow so no soda for me for a week and a half at least.

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I need to do this…

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Hey Chickie!

First of all – love the 1 percenters. I need to work on nutrition big-time. It’s my biggest downfall and really hindering my performances and day to day training. My biggest obstacle is getting over the guilt of eating so poorly/making bad decisions day in and out when I KNOW the difference. I feel like it’s too late. Argh. Stretching and cores’s another biggie of mine…doing 2 planks and 10 push-ups after a run a couple times a week is not core training. I wish.

2nd, I just want you to know I hope you didn’t take offence to me asking the treadmill question! I was just genuinely interested – I think it’s awesome you do what works for you. I love running outside and despise the hamster wheel. But at the same time, summers where I live can be ferociously hot with lots (and I mean LOTS) of bugs/flies…ick. There’s a 2-4 week interim where I may not have a choice but to treadmill it (which sucks in the beautiful summer, but I’d rather not get eaten alive either – ick again). Plus, sometimes, the treadmill is an excuse for me to watch a little Tv…;)

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OH GIRL!!!! No offense whatsoever. It is a great question (that I get a lot) so I thought I would go over it in a post. Good luck with that heat and bugs/flies… you are a CHAMP!!!

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…I’m a mum of 4, a runner and a triathlete and a doctor… I eat healthily and do the whole cook from scratch organic food thing but I had one sneaky little vice…diet coke…it got to the point where I’d have one on my way to work (I run early early), one at lunch and one on my way home before my nightly taxi service to kids activities began…EVERY DAY… I knew it was BAD but… I made the decision to go cold turkey a couple of months ago and one day one by lunch time i was lying on the floor in my office with the worst migraine ever…so I had a can of coke and it vanished…scary stuff…I’ve now been ‘clean’ for nearly 3 months…I’d love to say I’ve got faster and that my skin is glowing but I haven’t noticed any differences…I do drink more water…
My 1% is sleep…it makes a huge, huge difference and trying to have a clear head too…sometimes my head is so full of a million things I need to do that I can’t focus on my run/swim/bike…remembering that you’ve made the decision to workout, give yourself that time off…everything else can wait an hour!

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You prolly need this for marathon training –> http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/purify-your-system-with-the-seven-day-chili-dog-cleanse

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I’ve pretty much quit soda all together except an occasional one when out to eat. My dad quit soda cold turkey when he had to have a kidney removed last fall and has been my inspiration every since!

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Holy wow your lunch with the preserves looked GREAT! I’m going to actually start canning my own jams, jellys, vegetables… you name it! I’m so excited!

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That peanut butter M&M combo!!

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I used to be a big soda drinker in college, but cut it out completely after and feel so much better! Then again, maybe I wasn’t too hooked, since it was so easy to drop it. I do still drink a lot of club soda and things like Sparkling Ice which aren’t great for you, but baby steps work for me :)

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You’d be surprised if you can kick the soda habit how much you don’t miss it. I drank a ton of soda in middle school but by my sophomore year in high school I’d almost quit cold turkey. Now it’s a treat every one in a while.

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I have no idea how parents of young kids do it without help. I’m a single mom of two little ones, and I only get to exercise because it’s a perk of my job (they give us a couple hours a week to exercise). I don’t have family close enough to watch them during a run, I work full time, and their dad lives in the same city but doesn’t do whole days or overnight visits. So. You’re doing the best you can!

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Hey Janae!! Great job choosing a kind bar!! I’ve come to love Quest bars for my nightly snack. Chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies and cream, and mint chocolate chunk are my current favs!! Thy have about 20g protein each— that’s gotta help rebuild after marathon training, right??

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I feel like I am one of those people who have “given up” soda multiple times. But if I get a headache, I reach for a coke before the Ibuprofen. Actual coke. No diet stuff here.

For my outdoor running (my preference) I have to go before my husband heads to work or during bedtime when he is putting them in bed. Today I refused to leave my bed at 5:20 when my alarm rang-I have to breastfeed the baby before the run and that takes me about 20-30 minutes-so now I am committed to running on the treadmill sometime in the afternoon when #s 2&3 are napping. Bleh.

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have you tried flavored seltzer water? i love citrusy flavors and the carbonation feels soda-like.

i too do a lot of treadmill running mostly because the early mornings are dark. i don’t mind the treadmill at all, but i do enjoy getting my long run outside on saturdays. :)

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I used to be a pretty heavy diet soda drinker but I told myself I was going to stop before my senior year prom and just started drinking TONS of water and not only did I feel better but I looked a lot better too. That’s been 5 years now and I really never drink soda rather than an occasional Squirt/Fresca/ginger ale. Try drinking kombucha as a soda replacement, it’s fizzy, flavored and full of good probiotics

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I should probably teach a survival skills course after being so resourceful during the peanut butter and m&m incident.

Speaking of, I am sure nutrition is in my 1%…and sleeping…and stretching and foam rolling.

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I’ve always LOVED Dr. Pepper! Not Diet though. Just the real stuff. Several years ago I decided it was time to drop some weight & that was the first thing to go. I limited myself to 1 a day for awhile & then slowly went to 1 a week & then 1 every few weeks. I’ve been doing that for a couple of years now. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I don’t deny myself if I really want one but I’m not going to drink it every day anymore.

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Great tips! I actually gave up soda in college, but I sometimes will have it on occasion (a few times a year?). I guess since I never feel like I HAVE to have it, I don’t drink a lot of it even when I do.

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I have a few things to say.
1. You have very few vices so if you want to have a couple of Diet Cokes a day go for it.
2. There is no shame in running on the treadmill. I used to do the same when my kids were smaller. They’d watch T.V. (gasp!! T.V.!!) and I’d run, even on the most gorgeous days.
3. It gets easier when they’re older. My daughter just turned five but she can ride her bike alongside me at a decent clip and she’ll last 3-4 miles. When she gets tired we go to a playground and I run a quarter mile loop around the playground until I’m finished. And my son is almost 11 and he can run WITH me which is pretty awesome. He can also ride his bike alongside me and pull his sister in a bike trailer. Kids are pretty awesome indeed!

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Your dedication to the treadmill during the summers months is commendable!! Do what you gotta do right! Mine is shoved in the corner of my basement and will be ignored until Novemberish! :)
I was a 80’s child and diet soda was as healthy for you as broccoli! Filled up the xtra giant mug twice a day at the 7-11! Makes me cringe now to think about it. It was a super hard habit for me to give up completely but I can proudly say I have!!
A couple of options I like when I carve the carbonation is an italian creme soda. Most coffee joints make them. My go to flavor lately has been watermelon-mint. Try it!!
Also… Starbucks makes a refresher that you can get at any convince store. I like them on occasion as well.
Piyo has changed my running life! Check it out!! http://www.beachbodycoach.com/coachcrtny

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I run with my almost 3 yr old daughter in the BOB when I want to get outside for a run. Right now I’m not training for any event, so that makes it easy (I do have to bribe her with snacks or promises of ice cream or the park when we’re done). When I was training, I made sure to utilize my babysitters as much as I could without them hating me, and when all else failed, she went to the kids club at the gym while I ran. She got to run around and interact with other kids and I got my training miles in.

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Actually, I think diet soda is one of the worst things to drink – it’s all chemicals. I used to love diet Coke, Coke Zero and Diet Dr. Pepper. I weaned down until I just gave it up. Now it doesn’t taste good at all. I do like flavored seltzers – you can flavor your own with fruit or buy them. I’m really liking a vanilla one at the moment.

I find I have way less injuries when I foam roll, include yoga and barre exercises. Oddly adding in squats and lunges didn’t help me. (I’m guessing my form wasn’t what it could have been and my smaller muscles needed work too).

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Sleep and subbing frozen grapes for ice cream!!

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What running blogs do you read?!? I’d love to follow along to others as well!

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Great one percenter tips.. I MUST start incorporating more into my training. Was doing yoga for a while but I couldn’t get into it. I only drink water so I have that going for me!!! Like you, I’m looking to get that PR in my fall marathon. Not nearly as fast as you are determined to get but I’m running Chicago on 10/11 and want a 4:30 SO bad.

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I truly believe in eating balanced – so that means including treats…but I have a random fact about me that kinda goes against that…I haven’t had soda (or pop as we call it in Canada) since 1993! LOL. At this point it has nothing to do with health and more to do with not breaking the streak!!

For me, sleep is the answer to it all. It cannot be skimped on.

I’ve run 1 ultra, 12 marathons and 17 half marathons.

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Hey Janae – are you using the same coach this time around?

I hope I get to meet you in St. George! I’m already so pumped for race day!

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